Details: There is absulutely NO better way to get to know Los Angeles than to get out of your car and hit the pavement. I’ve been doing that a lot lately and it’s shocking all of the things you can discover. Rather walk in a group? Well, here’s your chance… join a big walking community this weekend for all or just a part of THE BIG PARADE, a 2-day, 40-mile, 135-stairway walk. You’re invited!

Kind of like The Great Los Angeles Walk on steroids, THE BIG PARADE is a group effort, and the brain-child of of local stair explorer, Dan Koeppel. Dan undertook a five-year Los Angeles stair mapping/walking project that began in 2003 with a 47-stairway route through Silver Lake and now he’s mapped out a grand two-day walking even through Los Angeles. “The parade will start at the famous Angel’s Flight Stairway Downtown, and finish with six stairways leading up from Beachwood Canyon to the Hollywood Sign. The walk will cover approximately 40 miles and 135 stairways, and will include a camp-out at the mid-point (legalities permitting), the famous Music Box Stairs – site of the Oscar-winning Laurel & Hardy film of the same name – in Silver Lake. It will take place July 18 and 19th, 2009.”

“A core group of five to eight walkers will be doing the entire event. But – as the name “Big Parade” implies – the true nature of the journey is community-based. In addition to passing dozens of landmarks, we will be joined by community members, both individuals and in groups, as we pass through the city’s most diverse neighborhoods. The walk is broken into specific segments so that walkers of all ages and levels of fitness can join us at specific times (of course, anyone is welcome to meet us at any point along the way – and all are invited to join us at the end to celebrate the walk.)”

Think it’s a dumb idea? Well, their FAQ has an answer for that:

Q – The Big Parade is stupid.
A – You might be right. But not having one would be even stupider.

*Click on the thumbnail below to launch a photo gallery of Zoe’s hike through Tree People’s Coldwater Canyon*

My dog Zoe and I have been exploring the canyons lately. I hate to admit that despite living in L.A. for decades, up until now I’ve never really spent quality time venturing through the hills. Now that I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop. When there’s nature to discover just five minutes away, it’s a shame to stay indoors… especially since exploring the hills is free (unless you get one of those infamous stop sign tickets). One thing for certain… people who lament the lack of wildlife and trees in Los Angeles haven’t spent much time making effort to look for them. There are plenty, and close by.

So the other day I drove up to the TreePeople campus and Zoe and I went for a leisurely sunset walk. Certain parts of the trails were more populated than others, but for the most part it was very peaceful… I sat at a picnic table for a few minutes to listen to the birds, and within moments I spotted a family of deer just feet below me. FYI, one thing about Coldwater Canyon is that it can be whatever you want to be, a workout or a leisurely stroll. Also, you don’t have to worry about getting lost unless you start blazing your own trail… the paths are easy to follow.

Other web sites have already spent quality time discussing what the Parkhas to offer, rating the trails, and exploring the wonderful good deeds of Andy Lipkis and the great folks at TreePeople(who maintain the park and are definitely unsung heroes of Los Angeles). No need reinventing the wheel, so I’m just going to share a photo gallery from our relaxing walk and hopefully inspire you to check out the canyons for yourself. And be sure to bring your pup… a tired dog is a good dog! :)